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Some minority members addressing the press after boycotting parliamentary proceedings

The minority in Parliament this morning staged a walkout after they disagreed with the move to have the report of the Special Committee on alleged ‘levy’ by the Ministry of Trade and Industry debated. According to the minority, since they just received copies of the report, it is inappropriate to do any comprehensive debate on it.

The Committee, after the hearings and the analysis and evaluation of the evidence adduced before it came to a conclusion that there is no merit in the allegations leveled against the Ministry of Trade and Industry as contained in the Motion and which culminated in the setting up of the Special Committee.

The Parliamentary Special Committee was set up by the Speaker of the House to investigate alleged "levy” by the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Millennium Excellence Foundation of various sums of money in USA Dollars, from expatriate business and related matters during the recently held Ghana Expatriate Business Awards in Accra.

"The Committee is of the opinion that given the cost and inconvenience as well as the high drama of a Parliamentary recall, Members ought to be guided by the views of Mr. Speaker in order that the mandatory power of summoning Parliament as captured in article 112(3) is invoked not only circumspectly but also sparingly.

The Committee after its deliberations made the following recommendations among others:

1. That the Controller and Accountant General and the Ministry of Finance should consider in the formulation of the new Regulation of the PFM Act, adequate provision to cater for public-private partnership arrangement and emerging or contemporary issues.

2. That there is a need to have a second look at the recall mechanism and ensure that it is not needlessly invoked at any time because of its mandatory nature in the Constitution.

However, the Minority, led by Haruna Iddrisu boycotted the debate on the report and staged a walkout, after the Speaker denied their request for ample time to peruse the 146-page document.

The Minority leader under Order 80 (1) of The Standing Orders of Parliament prayed for more time.